


Midnight Devotee

by KaiserNoire



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Blooming/flower festival, Friends to Lovers, Galra Prince Keith, Language of Flowers, M/M, Mutual Pining, S8 who? IDK her, Sheith Flower Exchange 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 13:27:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20340850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaiserNoire/pseuds/KaiserNoire
Summary: Shiro had only been to the capital building on Kokhav Lekhet twice before, but never during a celebration. The modern building had typically been littered with small amounts of flora native to the planet, but this week appeared as if a floral explosion had gone off inside the hall.But all of the extra extravagance made sense considering it had been Kokhav Lekhet’s long awaited Euonymus Amamus Celebration. The lush and vibrant planet had a plant-wide celebration once every one-hundred years in honor of the Euonymus, commonly called the Spindle Tree on Earth.“Admiral,” a voice over his shoulder called. Shiro could have placed that voice almost anywhere. Rough and gravely, and Shiro wanted to swim in that voice for the rest of his life.“Prince,” Shiro said as he turned around and leaned against the banister.It had been a fair assumption that if both Admiral Shirogane, and Crown Prince, Senior Blade Kogane had been at the same meeting that they would be inseparable.





	Midnight Devotee

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thissupposedcrime](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thissupposedcrime/gifts).

> For my good friend, [Ren](http://www.twitter.com/SupposedCrime)!!! This fic is complete as it is, but there might be a chap two that will include smut and (consensual!) sex pollen. ;D If it does appear then the rating and tags will update. 
> 
> Flowers used:
> 
> Spindle Tree: Your charms are engraved on my heart  
Heliotrope: Devotion, Fathfullness
> 
> Note! This is a different take on soulmates, so. Hope you enjoy!

The opulent halls of the capital building on Kokhav Lekhet never ceased to amaze Shiro. And even as he ran his hands over the bannister in front of him, expertly crafted with it’s combination of hard and soft natural materials, he was in wonder of the exquisite craftsmanship that went into every nook and cranny of the sprawling building. 

He had only been to the capital twice before, but never during a celebration. The modern building —made of beautifully cut wood supports, pearlescent crystal walls and heavy ore doors— had typically been littered with small amounts of flora native to the planet, but this week appeared as if a floral explosion had gone off inside the hall. There had been multiple different styles of hanging flower arrangements, some more akin to curtains of flowering ivy and others that looked almost alive alongside rotating balls of flowers that glistened as Shiro had walked by previously.

But all of the extra extravagance made sense considering it had been Kokhav Lekhet’s long awaited Euonymus Amamus Celebration. The lush and vibrant planet had a plant-wide celebration once every one-hundred years in honor of the Euonymus, commonly called the Spindle Tree on Terra. 

The Spindle Tree had originally been one of a few flora related gifts to the inhabitants of Kokhav Lekhet curtesy of Terra, and while all the other gifts had done well on the planet, none of the other plants seemed to have _flourished_ quite as lavishly as the Spindle Tree. 

And so Shiro found himself on one of the many verandas at the capital, admiring the multicolor extravaganza laid before him in the way of plant life. 

“Admiral,” a voice over his shoulder called. Shiro could have placed that voice almost anywhere. Rough and gravely, and Shiro wanted to swim in that voice for the rest of his life.

“Prince,” Shiro said as he turned around and leaned against the banister. 

____

Shiro had received a message with a VIP flag on it a week prior. The contents mentioned the location for that month’s larger scale diplomatic meeting. Normally the actual diplomats from Terra were required to go to these meetings, with select some of these events that actually requested his presence. The email that he received a week ago had not been a regular request, but a full formal invitation that Veronica had mentioned had been in his best interest to go. 

So Shiro went.

About a year previous he would have inwardly groaned about going to these meetings, but not anymore. Now he had a reason for actually _wanting_ to be there. 

Shiro had checked the formal invitation list, and lo and behold the one individual whom he desperately wanted to see again had been marked to be in attendance. 

Keith Kogane — Crown Prince, soon to be Emperor, of Daibazaal and Senior Blade of Marmora. 

It had been a few months since Shiro had seen Keith in person, and so after he had confirmed Keith’s name on the list, Shiro sent off his own confirmation of attendance. 

_____

It had been a fair assumption that if both Admiral Takashi “Shiro” Shirogane and Crowned Prince, Senior Blade Yorak “Keith” Kogane had been at the same meeting that they would be inseparable. 

And such an assumption held true for the high priority meeting that had been scheduled that week on Kokhav Lekhet. 

After Keith had tracked Shiro down, the two directed their attention to the gorgeous floral display below the veranda. 

“Care for a walk, Prince?” Shiro asked as he held out his arm, a gentlemen’s response to a question that he had been certain Keith would accept. 

And accept Keith had. With a light chuckle and a slight tilt of his head in attempt to hide his smirk, Keith threaded his arm through Shiro’s outstretched one.

“Did you just arrive, Admiral?” Keith asked as he looked up at Shiro through his slightly disheveled bangs. 

“I did, yes. Just a few hours ago. And it seems that you just arrived yourself,” the last bit had been said with a playful flit to Shiro’s voice as he gently held up a particularly low hanging branch in their path. 

“What makes you say that?” Keith asked, a slight sass had been evident in his tone. He quickly ducked under Shiro’s sleek Altean arm that held up the branch, Keith’s soft, gauzy traveling robes dusting the garden path. 

“Your hair.”

Keith paused and his brows pulled together in question. “What’s wrong with my hair?” He asked as Shiro passed under the branch and took his place beside Keith again. 

“Nothing’s wrong with it,” Shiro said as Keith threaded his arm back in place. “Your bangs are down, is all.”

Keith patted at his hair, and fiddled with the side of his bangs that curved against his cheek. “I should have realized that you’re awfully observant.”

“Only about important things,” Shiro looked down at Keith from his peripheral, taking note of the very light blush that dusted his high cheekbones, and the cough that fell from Keith’s lips. Shiro looked back along the garden trail before Keith’s deep violet eyes made contact with his own. 

____

Over the years Shiro had gone to his fair share of commemorations on behalf of Terra, but his favorite had always been those that revolved around seasonal changes. The culture surrounding seasons always held similar sentiments no matter the planet of origin, and that alone fascinated Shiro. 

And so, when Shiro had looked over the daily festivities for the Euonymus Amamus Celebration he had a pretty good grasp of what to expect; everything looked standard, all things considered.

As much as he loved blooming festivals, they had a tendency of being pretty repetitive, unless you had a native explain the exact nuance of every fine detail. 

Or unless you had someone with you who had been curious about the culture, and who wanted to share all kinds of details with you. Like Keith. It had always been hard to be bored when Shiro had Keith around. 

“Did you want to make the opening festivities?” Keith called from the crystalline bathroom of the multi-room suite that he had in honor of the festival.

Shiro looked up from his data pad, “I’m not sure why you are asking me, we’re basically required to go.” He had taken up a relaxed posture an fairly large chaise lounge that had been situated on the far side of Keith’s spacious master bedroom. Shiro looked out to the balcony where a set of tall modern looking pots, rectangular in shape, flanked a table and a set of chairs. He readjusted a bit as he took a good look at the blooms in the rectangular pots. “Huh, interesting.”

“Hmm?” The opaquely frosted glass door of the bathroom slid open with a silent motion, and out stepped Keith, dressed in the underlayment of one of many of his formal Galra regalia. A dark plum turtleneck gently stretched across his torso, the knit sleeves stoped about hallway down his biceps and the remaining flowed out in soft gauzy lilacs and indigos that billowed around him as he made his way over to Shiro. “What’s interesting?”

“You see those round bushes on the balcony?” Shiro pulled himself off the lounge, adjusted his own dress shirt (he had tossed his fitted ATLAS suit jacket, the more elegant one in his collection, on the couch the second he had entered Keith’s suite) and walked over to meet Keith in front of the glass door to the patio.

“The purple ones?” Keith asked and then turned so that his back faced Shiro. Gently Keith gathered up his loose hair and draped it across his front, which revealed the open back of his turtleneck. 

“Yeah.” Shiro reached over and zipped up Keith’s top, pushing away the fine wispy baby hairs on Keith’s nape all to make sure they wouldn’t catch on the teeth of the zipper.

The plants in question had been the ones that flanked the patio furniture. They had been styled in a typical round bush topiary, with their lush evergreen leaves and dense clusters of bright purple flowers which shone in the early afternoon sunlight. By the looks of it, they had been recently watered, small droplets that reflected the light. 

“It’s interesting that those particular flowers are on your balcony,” Shiro explained as he reached over Keith’s shoulder to grab the sheer half-cape that Keith held up. The cape being more decorative than anything else.

“Why?” Keith finished latching together the front of the leather vest that he had tugged on, its silver and gold metallic stitching trailed the length of the long garment, and slightly reflected the light. It looked reminiscent of the Galra military armor of old, with it’s prominent shoulder pauldrons and high collar all made out of supple leather, but it had been modernized with his long length that dusted along Keith’s calves, and softened in its styling to not be as aggressive. Something that Krolia and Kolivan had worked with Altean designers to achieve.

“Well,” Shiro said as he latched the gauzy half cape over Keith’s left shoulder and let it fall in delicate sheets behind him. “On Terra that plant is called the Heliotrope. And, well,” and he paused as he leaned in over Keith’s shoulder, close to his ear. “They sometimes can mean devotion and faithfulness,” Shiro’s hands glided over Keith’s shoulders, and down his arms, presumably straightening out the garments, “which coupled with their traditional shade of purple work well to honor the most esteemed Galra Prince.” Keith snorted as he turned to face Shiro, and held out a closed fist. Shiro reached out with a flat hand and Keith dropped his rings in Shiro’s palm. “But,” Shiro slowly slid a few rings on Keith’s fingers, “they are also known to be toxic to cats, so please don’t eat any of the leaves, or flowers. I would rather you not die.”

“Oh my _god_, Shiro! For the last time, we Galra are _not_ giant space cats!” Keith groaned as he punched Shiro on the bicep. __

_ _Shiro just howled with laugher as he rubbed at his arm. “Hey! Those rings hurt.”_ _

_ _“Yeah, well, since I don’t have claws these will just have to do.” Keith rolled his eyes and a smile tugged at his lips. “Come on you. Let’s get going before all the good horderves gets taken.”_ _

_ _“That’s Admiral You, thank you very much.”_ _

_ _Keith just rolled his eyes again, not even trying to hide the smile that graced his mouth. They exited Keith’s hotel linked arm in arm._ _

_ ____________ _

_ _

_ _Shiro twirled the empty crystal fluted glass in his left hand, admiring the iridescent foliage of a native plant that towered above him. Him and Keith had wandered into one of many gardens that littered the capital. This particular one partially reminded Shiro of the Arashiyama bamboo forest in Japan. Extremely tall and slender flora reached for the sky, stacked upon each other like finely backed bamboo. They created a semi shaded and secluded atmosphere, with narrow beams of light that made their way through as the stalks swayed in the light breeze._ _

_ _Shiro idly wondered if Keith had ever see the Arashiyama forest. Keith would probably find them just as gorgeous and otherworldly as Shiro had._ _

_ _“Here,” Keith’s voice called from Shiro’s left and he plucked the champagne-styled flute from Shiro’s hand. With a light _clink_ Keith placed the glass on a passing floating tray that appeared to be powered by some sort of flower shaped motor, the petals rotating around in tight circles, similar to propellers of antiquated Terran aircraft. “Another?” Keith asked. And at Shiro’s nod, a replacement glass had been slipped into Shiro’s hand Keith lifted his eyebrows in question. “You like the blue one, huh, Admiral?”_ _

_ _Shiro smirked into the rim of the flute, “It tastes like peaches.” At Keith’s inquisitive head tilt, Shiro elaborated, “The Terran fruit? About palm sized, normally yellow with a soft red blush.”_ _

_ _Keith smirked and Shiro knew that trouble followed. “The one that people say your ass resembles?”_ _

_ _Shiro had taken a sip of his drink. Of course, Keith had caught Shiro right as he had taken a sip. _ _

_ _The resulting snort and then cough that fell from Shiro’s lips hadn’t detoured the devious smile that bloomed across Keith’s face. “You ok there, Admiral?” Keith’s hand ran soothing circles across Shiro’s back, almost mockingly, as he leaned into Shiro’s space, Keith cheeks flushed due to the alcohol that he had consumed. “Please do not choke. I would rather you not die.” _ _

_ _After Shiro had coughed a few times to clear his airways, he looked down at Keith over the tip of his nose. “You did that on purpose.”_ _

_ _“Of course,” Keith winked and then sent him a smoldering smile over his shoulder, right hand stretched out. “Come now, the Picking is about to start. We need good seats.”_ _

_ _Shiro huffed out a low, “Brat,” as he threaded their arms again. _ _

_ ______ _

_ _

_ _The location for the ceremonial picking, according to the program that had been presented across the hologram display from Shiro’s watch, had been set under a beautiful canopy, an interwoven sheet of multicolor blooms with small and large petals shimmering in the near midday sun. And it just so happened to be a bit of a trek from where Shiro and Keith had been admiring the flowers in the main garden. The actual picking to start once the main sun (of which there had been three) fell below the horizon. They had some time, but not much. _ _

_ _Shiro and Keith gently weaved their way though the sea of diplomats and others in attendance, gave a few small nods and words as not to seem rude as they passed. Easy conversation fell from Shiro’s lips as he exchanged handshakes with a fairly large alien, which involved both of Shiro’s hands and three of the six from the alien. Extracting Shiro from the diplomat had been fairly easy: a light tap on Shiro’s elbow and a simple greeting from Keith, and the alien excused themselves with a nod and a wink at the pair. It had been the “Enjoy the festivities, young lovers,” that caused a faint blush to dust across the scar on Shiro’s nose as the turquoise alien turned to leave. _ _

_ _Keith nodded to the alien, “I’m sure we will enjoy, but just for clarification’s sake, myself and Admiral Shirogane are not actually a couple.” But then Keith thought that sounded a bit rude so he added on a, “Though we get that quite often, so I can understand the confusion, Representative.”_ _

_ _The alien just hummed as they tipped their head in what could be taken as a nod. “Oh, apologies, Prince Kogane, excuse my assumption. Though,” and the diplomat paused as they stroked a very large bloom in one of their hands, “the festival is an enlightening experience.” They extended their right hands as a signal for the pair to leave, “I hope you enjoy.”_ _

_ _Shiro brought his hand to rest across his chest as he bent forward in a bow. “Thank you, Representative. I am certain that we will.”_ _

_ _After Keith repeated the same action, he addressed the diplomat, “Please enjoy, Representative.” And almost like clockwork Shiro held out his arm for Keith to seamlessly hook his own through. _ _

_ _____________ _

_ _Very few things in life have left Shiro breathless, but the moment that he saw Keith silhouetted by the overly bright moon, palms outstretched as he grasped for the fruit of the Spindle Tree, he honestly had been breathless. _ _

_ _A typical Terran Spindle Tree had been minuscule in comparison to the goliath tree that stood before them, some 122 meters tall —taller than any tree that existed on Terra— and with a trunk thicker than Shiro had seen in ages. It had been absolutely humbling being before it. It made him feel small and incredibly insignificant, but in a good way. In the way that the stars and the universe made him feel insignificant. A sensation that reminded him how Terrans, humans, hadn’t been alone in the universe. _ _

_ _And of how fleeting the typical human life span had been. How fleeting his own life had once been._ _

_ _All of that, balled up together, had probably been one of the many reasons why Shiro enjoyed alien blooming festivals so much. They always reminded him about how ephemeral life could be. How he needed to savor every moment because there had been no telling how long they had in this life. _ _

_ _Shiro flexed the fingers on his right arm, his Altean arm. A much sleeker design than it once had been, but still a constant reminder to live life to the fullest._ _

_ _And so, as Keith looked over his shoulder, eyes bright and full of wonder at the giant fruit that he held firmly with both hands, Shiro swallowed. _ _

_ _And he hoped that the fruit that he held in his own hands held some of the answers that had plagued him for a few years. _ _

_ ____________ _

_ _One of the many traditions of the Euonymus Amamus Celebration included sharing the fruit that you plucked off the Spindle Tree. With timing being everything. _ _

_ _After the picking ceremony had completed, just shy of midnight, the duo made their way back to Keith’s hotel, fruits heavy in their hands._ _

_ _As Keith had explained, moonlight needed to bathe the fruit soon after it got picked, with the one who had removed the fruit from the branches to be the one to hold the soft pink fruit high above their head, a prostration to the universe, a thank you for a bountiful harvest. But also as a plea. With the hope that the answer the they receive properly address the question that burned in their heart._ _

_ _Once that had been completed then the picker could gift the fruit to someone dear, someone beloved. This hadn’t been a necessary step in the process, but one that couples often participated in. _ _

_ _One that Keith made sure to empathize as he placed his fruit on a large platter and pulled out his Marmora blade. With delicate precision he rotated the fruit on its side and made a few incisions on the bottom so that he could easily remove the orange seeds from within. _ _

_ _With sure steps Keith walked over to Shiro and reached a single hand out, his other hand held back the long fabric that adorned his sleeves. _ _

_ _“May I?” _ _

_ _“Of course,” Shiro softly responded as he placed the sizable fruit in Keith’s outstretched hand. “Shouldn’t I do that? I did pick it.”_ _

_ _Keith had just given Shiro a simple shake of the head. His braid had started falling out hours previous and so a few strands brushed against his cheek, a light curl to them due to the warm night. “Not necessary.”_ _

_ _The same process got repeated with Shiro’s fruit and Keith placed all eight seeds on the same platter. This next part Keith had requested Shiro assistance. “Grab this end. We need to take these outside.”_ _

_ _Keith stood up from the low table that he had knelt at to cut the fruit open, and opened the glass door to the sizable balcony. “We can place them on the table.” And Keith nodded to the table that sat between the Heliotrope topiaries._ _

_ _Once that step had been completed Shiro shifted in place, a bit uncertain. The whole time that Keith had spent splitting open the fruit Shiro had noticed that the other man had been in quiet reverence. There had been very few instances in Shiro’s life that he had seen Keith so contemplative. _ _

_ _One part of him hoped that the Keith’s reasons lined up with his own._ _

_ _“So,” and Shiro cleared his throat. “What next?” Shiro knew what next, though. _ _

_ _Keith hummed as he turned to face Shiro. “Next we wait.”_ _

_ _“What are we waiting for?” Shiro knew what they needed to wait for, though. _ _

_ _“To see if the seeds turn white.”_ _

_ _“What happens if they turn white?” Again, Shiro knew. And again, he hoped._ _

_ _Keith just hummed again as he thought. “I’ll tell you if they turn white.”_ _

_ _Shiro simply nodded in response. “How long do we wait?”_ _

_ _“Hmm, about fourteen hours. Give or take.”_ _

_ _Shiro blinked, a bit startled. “Four—fourteen?” And then he crinkled his nose; that had not been the answer that he had expected. _ _

_ _Keith loved it when Shiro crinkled his nose and just smiled up at the other. _ _

_ _“Is that why there are other portions of the celebration that we’re required to attend? To take us way from the seeds so we don’t obsessively watch them?”_ _

_ _“You got it.” And Keith linked arms with Shiro again as he directed them back inside._ _

_ ____________ _

_ _The seeds had turned white by morning._ _

**Author's Note:**

> I mostly just scream about sheith.  
[Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/kaisernoire) | [Website](Http://www.kaisernoire.com)


End file.
